Dolci Baci
by Abiding Angel
Summary: V-Day is right around the corner and Feliciano finds himself making chocolates alongside his brother for a certain German best friend. Meanwhile, Ludwig is bothered by this festival of love because it's made him realize his feelings for Feliciano. Now they both will try to confess, but with misunderstandings and Gilbert's idea of a "sexy" holiday in the works, will it go smoothly?
1. Chapter 1: Preparation

A/N: Very first fic. I tried my best. (lazy cry) Lots of translation notes at the bottom in case you want to know what certain phrases mean. Please enjoy the valentine-y fluffiness regardless.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia. I just borrow the characters.

Rated: M for language and adult humor in the later chapters.

Pairings: Germany x N. Italy & Spain x Romano, a sprinkle of other pairings.

Chapter warnings: Shounen Ai. Ridiculous fluff. Mild swearing. Use of human names. Use of sentences or words in other languages. Italics represent both thoughts and flashbacks.

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Chapter 1: Preparation

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"Vee... meanie… pants…"

Feliciano Vargas mumbled in his sleep. He snuggled against his pillow and enjoyed the warmth of his blanket, though it wasn't as nice as the warmth when sharing a bed with someone else. It was one of those rare mornings where he wasn't in Ludwig Beilschmidt's bed. He wouldn't remember when he woke up, but the Italian had drunk himself stupid stealing the German's big bottle of Jägermeister, and after moments of being a rowdy drunker, passed out. Ludwig had to admit, it was quite amusing to watch Feli down the whole bottle himself. And frankly, it was the quickest he'd ever seen him get buzzed, drunk, and hung over in such a short span of time. Ludwig didn't hesitate to use this opportunity to bring the silly Italian home and tuck him into his own bed. He sighed as he placed Alka-Seltzer and a glass of water on the night stand. Though Feli was his friend, Ludwig did like having some alone time once in a while. Yes, he'd get to sleep comfortably, knowing the Italian would not wake up next to him in the morning for once.

Feliciano tossed and turned a bit, slowly waking up to the rays of sunlight peeking from behind the window curtain. He could feel the blood in his head pounding and the birds chirping in the distance was far louder than it should have been.

**Knock, knock, knock.**

"Mmeh," He groaned and covered his head with his pillow trying to drown out the sound of someone at his door.

**Knock, knock, knock, ding-dong, ding-dong. **

Everything sounded three times louder. The throbbing in his head began turning painful.

"Vee... Go away…" he whined. After a few seconds the person at the door began ringing the doorbell constantly. It was as if someone was standing over him clanging on a bell. There was no way he'd get any more sleep.

"Vee... Ok, ok I'm co-ming!" He dragged himself out of bed and walked over to the door. However, before he could open it, it suddenly swung open and smacked him to the floor.

"What took you so long Feliciano?! How could you make me wait outside so long?! You forced me to use your spare key. What are you doing on the floor?! And where is your underwear?!" Feli didn't know what to react to first. All he knew was that his brother Lovino was standing over him yelling. He clutched his head as his brother's voice made his hangover worse.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Please stop yelling, my head is killing me." The older Italian frowned at his younger brother's hung-over state.

"Never mind you dummy, let's get some underwear." He pulled his brother up and dragged him to the bedroom where he rummaged through the clothes on the floor until he found some boxers. Feli got dressed in a dizzy stupor as Lovi continued talking.

"That potato-bastard isn't here right? I'm glad to see you're spending less time with him. He's not a good person for you to be around. Just like that damn Spain. I wish I didn't have to spend so much time with him." Lovi plopped himself on the bed with a big huff. His cheeks were pink, and he looked away with an annoyed puffed-up face. Feliciano knew his brother didn't mean it.

_"Reminds me of when he was little."_ Feli thought as he smiled. "So, big brother, what are you doing here? Did you get into a fight with big brother Spain?"

"What?! Can't I spend time with my stupido younger brother?!"

"O-of course you can-"

"Besides," Lovi cut him off. "You know what tomorrow is. Antonio is excited about it for some stupid reason. The idiota Spaniard is going crazy celebrating such a lame holiday. So, I figure I should see you now since I'll probably be busy doing what he wants me to do. And I wanted you to tell me what you think of these…" His face turned as red as a tomato as he quickly shoved a small paper bag into Feli's hands.

"Tomorrow?" He looked down at the bag and unrolled the flap. A cloud of black smoke somehow wafted up to his face making his senses sting and burn. "Ehh?! What is this? It smells like something even worse than Britain's cooking!" He immediately threw the bag back at Lovino.

"Shut up, damn it! I already know they suck! But I tried hard, you jerk!" He shook the bag in his brother's face. Embarrassed tears welled up in his eyes.

"Wait, what were you trying to make Lovi? I thought you know how to make pasta."

"I do, you imbecile. Those… they are… what I was trying to make were… chocolate baci… Baci Perugina like how that one company does."

"Ehh… You mean the chocolate hazelnut stuff covered with the yummy dark chocolate shell?"

"Of course! What? Were you thinking Baci di Dama? You know that means 'ladies' kisses,' and I'm no girl. What do you think Antonio would say if I were to give him those?"

"I don't think fratello would think about something like that. I mean, you're giving him something called 'kisses' any way… so he'd probably like whichever you choose to give…"

"Damn it! I knew it was a stupid idea! Forget it! I don't want to give that idiot Spaniard anything at all!"

"Wait, Lovi! Does that mean you don't care about Antonio anymore? Do you really not want to share your feelings with him on Valentine's Day? I mean, I know we don't usually make a big deal out of it, but it seems like tomorrow means a lot to him."

Lovino paused and reflected for a moment. "N-no. It's not that. I just… I'm no good at making chocolate baci … I know you can, which is why I'm here. P-please help me make them Feliciano..."

Feli was at a loss for words. It was rare for his brother to say "please" let alone turn to him for help. His pride usually prevented him from seeking assistance from him. Well, more like he would try to do something and when he failed, then others would be forced to help. It was a trait they both shared equally. But this time around was different. Lovino actually wanted to try and cook _himself_? Behind his angrily embarrassed face and tsundere behavior, he was being earnest with his brother. Again, he smiled at Lovino, proud at him for taking the initiative.

"W-what are you starin' at me like that for, you dumb ass?! You're my brother- you should have offered to help me sooner!" Lovi grabbed his brother by the collar and strangled him. "Don't give me that look! I know you know how to make them!" Though his actions were violent, Feli knew Lovi was just happy.

"O-of course I'll he-lp you, Lo-vi," He managed to choke out as he was waved back and forth.

"Good. Let's get started now." He dropped his brother and went into his kitchen.

"Where do you keep the choco- AHH!" Suddenly a loud crash of pots, pans, and what sounded like spilling dried pasta echoed from the kitchen.

"_Vee… It's going to be a long day."_ The younger Italian thought as he reached for the Alka-Seltzer on the night stand.

.:*:. .:*:..:*:. .:*:..:*:.

Today was February 13th, the day before the great festival of love. The streets were bustling with last minute shoppers trying to get something special for their loved ones. Regrettably, Ludwig was caught up in the throng of people. Half of him was window shopping in an attempt to find something for Feliciano; the other half was reluctantly travelling to a certain person's house. For the past week Ludwig had been trying to figure out what to do for Feliciano and that person he was seeking today might be able to help him out. All the holiday items displayed in the shop windows were making his head spin and curse at his own hesitancy.

"_Why didn't I get him something sooner?! Yet, if I do get him something, I don't want to give him the wrong impression. We're friends, so I should only get him something a friend would give him, right?"_

The debate warred in his head since the start of the week and the countdown to the actual day added pressure to do something. However, Ludwig had no clue how to go about it. Usually, he'd read books when he wanted to figure things out, but it proved to be fruitless in occasions that dealt with relationships. His brother, Gilbert, was too busy to meet with him that week since he was overseeing the festivities in the nation. He found it strange that he'd want to take over, but he liked the idea of less work and let the Prussian do as he pleased. Though Honda Kiku was an ally, he was just as emotionally awkward as he was, so asking him for advice didn't really get him anywhere. In the end, after much apologizing on Kiku's part, all Ludwig got out of the conversation was a vague promise that both he and Feli would receive obligatory chocolates. He approached Roderich Edelstein afterward, but was of little help as well. Roderich was wrapped up in his own dilemma composing a well-orchestrated song for some lucky recipient. He did, however, provide one good idea.

"_Why don't you talk to Spain? He's the country of passion, isn't he? Maybe he can tell you the secret to preparing a good Valentine's Day."_ And with that, he was shooed out of the music room.

"_Spain, huh?"_ Germany stood at the door and pondered a bit. While he didn't ask for details, he at least knew that Antonio and Lovino were in a relationship since Feliciano told him. _"He must have some form of experience at celebrating a holiday like this one. Right? Well, turning to Spain is better than turning to France. Yet, I barely know the guy… How would we talk about it? How could I start the conversation? Nein! I must stop being a pussy and just go talk to him directly_._" _

He immediately went to the book store and asked the clerk for anything regarding Spain as a country of passion. Unfortunately, the only book the shopkeeper had was about a French traveler experiencing some romance in the country. Though some of the passages were naughty, he learned how truly romantic they could be. Some of the information helped, though did nothing in the way of actually meeting with Antonio. Seeing the Spaniard proved very difficult with the Italian brothers always around. Between daily visits to his own house and numerous "rescue the Italian" operations, Feli left Ludwig with little chance to sneak off to Antonio's place. However, when his little friend passed out from the Jägermeister the night before, he took it as a lucky chance. He was relieved when he woke up early with no trace of another body in his bed.

"_Feliciano must have been too drunk and hung-over to come running back. Still, I hope he's all right."_

Even though he felt bad about how hung-over Feli most likely was going to be when he woke up, he was glad he was not there. After all, it was the only time allotted to run the errand.

Aside from being physically kept away from Antonio, another issue Ludwig faced was the blatant awkwardness of the whole situation. Dealing with people about personal problems was something he never liked doing. It was always a rare occurrence since he believed in trying to solve his own problems. Besides, the German knew the only thing he and the Spaniard seemed to have in common was those two crazy Italy brothers, and they certainly were not the most ideal common ground to have. Ludwig had nothing against Antonio. He allied himself with his brother, Prussia as well, so it's not like he was untrustworthy. Not quite friends, but not quite enemies. For the most part Ludwig and Antonio were just neutral acquaintances with one another. The hesitancy he felt seemed to run deeper than friendly relations though.

"_What is bothering me so much?"_

For a usually direct man, this was one problem that made him uncomfortable. Identify the issue. Search for the solution. Apply the remedy. Solve the problem. That was how Ludwig usually worked. However, he couldn't figure out why this particular celebration was throwing him off so badly.

"_It is just another stupid holiday. So, why can't I decide what to do for the pathetic Italian? If anything, it's a commonplace ritual, get a gift and give it out. Why can't I just pick a gift and hand it over to Feliciano? Why does it feel so uncomfortable asking Antonio for advice? Why? Why? Why?"_

As the German approached the Spaniard's house, his resolve deteriorated, and he walked to the door mechanically like a robot. Sweating profusely and eyes wide in psychotic concentration, he reached for the doorbell and pushed the button.

"_Oh __scheiße__ what if Lovino's home?! He'll scream at me right at the door before I even get to see Antonio! Hell, he won't let me see Antonio at all and stand there threatening me. Crap, I hope he doesn't have any grenades on him either. I should have called first!"_

A panic immediately swept through him. How did he forget about the other Italian brother being home? He could feel the headache coming. After all the fake courage he mustered, he did not want to fall short on his mission by getting an earful from Feli's grumpy brother. He turned around preparing to leave when suddenly, the door opened revealing Antonio.

"Si?"

Ludwig stopped mid turn and snapped back in place with arms stiffly to his side. He was relieved to find it was just Antonio and took a deep breath to try and calm down.

"**H-hola España! I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd come by to see you!**"

Spain smiled both awkwardly and warmly as his visitor ended up screamed salutations at him.

"_He's still his usual wound up self."_ He noticed as he looked at the stiff visitor. _"I wonder what he's doing here. I doubt he was in the neighborhood, I mean, he'd have to pass by France, and he hates France. I wonder if he's all right. It's a good thing Lovi is not here to cause a fuss either. Eh, he'll probably explain later."_

"Hola, Alemania. Would you like to come in and join me for some food? I was just about to take a lunch break."

"O-oh really? I – uh. I didn't mean… Well… j-ja, I would really appreciate it, if it's not too much trouble."

"No problem at all. Actually, I have plenty of food because I was supposed to have lunch with Lovino, but he's disappeared. I'm not sure where he went, though; the perezoso woke up early just to go there – wherever there is. He left a note saying that he needed to do something important today and skipped out on helping me tend the tomatoes this morning. My guess is he's going to his brother. He always does when he leaves the house."

"I see. Well, that's good I suppose, because I know for a fact that Feliciano is at home. I tucked him in myself because he was so drunk last night. I don't think he needed my help getting to bed though. He seems to have a talent for undressing and climbing into bed even when intoxicated. I wish he applied such coordination on the battlefield." Ludwig pondered seriously on the matter for a moment.

Spain blushed and chuckled a little at such revealing information. "En serio? Well, that is Feliciano for you. Lovino is the same way. Though I wish he wasn't as violent when he is drunk. His bites are muy painful." It was Ludwig's turn to blush as he recalled a few risqué lines from the book he picked up earlier that day. He mentally waved off the inappropriate images continually popping into his head.

Ludwig marched in after Antonio and was led to a comfortable dining area on the porch out back. A small table was nicely decorated with a vase of roses and already had a few dishes from the kitchen. Towards one side there was a big pan full of rice, meats, and vegetables. The other side had a big bowl of what looked like seafood soup, and a basket of rolls.

"Sorry there isn't too much variety. For some reason the kitchen was a huge mess when I went in there this morning, so I only made a few things. Throwing things together and letting it cook is easier than making individual dishes. I hope you like paella – oh and I'll bring out some leche flan from yesterday's dinner for dessert."

"_This is a few?"_ Ludwig looked incredulously at the spread. "Ah, no, it was my fault for dropping by unannounced. What you made looks and smells really delicious though."

Antonio pulled up another chair and place setting. It was warm and sunny, though nice and cool under the awning. After taking a seat, Ludwig looked out and was awed by the perfect view of the tomato fields. Colors dazzled under the light; the landscape was lush and full of the sun ripened fruit. It was picturesque and an ideal atmosphere for an easy going lunch. Sitting there with the smell of good food and a welcoming host took off the edge he initially felt.

"Nice, no?" His lunch companion asked as he sat down and offered Germany a beer. "Another few days and I'm going to harvest the crop in the front here." He gestured to the area just ahead of them. "Any way, let's dig in!" Antonio raised his glass in a cheerful toast. A genuine smile came to Ludwig's face and they heartily began munching.

While the siesta was pleasant, it had gone on far longer than anticipated. The duo had been eating, drinking, and making small talk about each of their own respective nations until the late afternoon. Ludwig's dilemma was pressing upon him all the while, but he didn't have the heart to speed up the Spaniard. He recalled reading that siestas do take a while, so he shouldn't have been surprised, though it didn't make the matter any easier. Still, relaxing with Antonio was a nice change of pace that made up for the crazy week. He looked dreamily out into the fields and pictured Feli smiling, waving at him from the far end of the cropping holding a bushel of tomatoes.

"Wouldn't it be nice if Feliciano and Lovino were here too?"

Ludwig was taken aback. Somehow the Spaniard said exactly what was on his mind. "Ja. I'll have to tell Italy to visit you more often. S-speaking of which… do you have anything planned for tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow? Oh, you mean for Valentine's Day? Si, how about you?"

He shook his head. "Actually, I have to admit something. I lied earlier. I woke up early and came here just to see you. See, Roderich told me that you were the 'Country of Passion' and that you'd probably have the best advice to help me out."

"He what?" Antonio's entire face turned bright red like the tomatoes out on the vine. He didn't quite get it, but it didn't feel any less embarrassing. "País de la Pasión?! Where did he get that idea-?"

"You probably have some amazing night planned for you and Lovino, right? Are you going to serenade him with a Spanish ballad? Or tango with him under the stars after a candlelit dinner? Is holding a rose in between your teeth really sexier than just handing over a bouquet? And what about at night? Is it really appropriate to try and seduce your friend into bed when they are drunk-?"

"Whoa! No! Espera un minuto! Wait, where the heck did you hear about such things?!" Antonio laughed, astounded at the mortifying things Ludwig was saying.

"I read it in a book. It was about a French traveler here in Spain."

"French? Who is the author?"

"I don't know. They went by the pen name, F.B."

"F. B., you don't suppose…?"

They both facepalmed in unison. Somewhere in France, Francis Bonnefoy had the urge to laugh out loud for no reason.

"Any way," Ludwig pushed everything he read in the book out of his head. "The point of my visit today was to ask you for advice. I'm having such a hard time figuring out what to get Feliciano for Valentine's Day. I mean, when I think about it, he pretty much has everything that makes him happy already. I don't think I can get anything special for him."

Ludwig's expressions softened as he spoke and something then dawned on Antonio. That frustrated feeling, the blush on his face, the way his voice sounded longingly as he thought about Feli… there was no doubt about it. He recognized Ludwig's feelings well since he felt something similar with Lovino.

"Let me ask you something, mi amigo. Is Valentine's Day all about getting someone a gift?"

"No, but it's popular and customary."

"Right, but like you said, you know Feliciano. In fact, you know he doesn't need expensive things to celebrate a holiday like this. Tomorrow celebrates something more profound and fundamental than that. You can buy gifts for your friends, but is Feliciano just another one of your _friends_?"

"Just… another… friend?" Ludwig remained silent as he looked at his Spanish friend. Though his smile was endearing, the impact of what Antonio was implying hit him like a bat to a piñata. Realization quickly set in giving him quite a shock._ "Or is he something more?"_ The little man was a handful ever since the first encounter, but the time spent with him proved that he isn't entirely superficial. Simple, yes, but has the capacity to be emotionally deep as well. The majority of his actions and speech are idiotic and lazy, yet, from time to time the mighty heart of Rome that cares deeply and loves easily also shines through. All these factors – all are pieces of the Italian that the German grew to appreciate and love. LOVE. The word itself was foreign. It was hardly used in his daily vocabulary and the idea of it being there now was almost incomprehensible.

_"Am I… in love with Feliciano?"_ He didn't know what to say. His mind and heart raced and he could have sworn he felt sick. For a while he sat silently sifting through memories trying to figure out when or how exactly he came to love the nation to no avail. It struck him like a blitzkrieg and before he knew it, gradually invaded the rest of his territory. Putting the pieces together, it all made sense. He couldn't see him as just an ally or friend. He couldn't find a perfect gift because Feli means so much more than any material item. He couldn't admit any of this to himself until now.

_"I-I'm in love? I'm in love?! Mein Gott, now what?"_ He looked pleadingly at Antonio as if asking for assurance or an answer. The other nation could only provide a sympathetic smile to his look of desperation.

"Feliciano is not just another friend, but what do I do now that I know? How do I go about telling him this?"

Antonio thought for a moment. "When I first realized how I felt about Lovi, I didn't know what to do either. I thought that since he's so hard to please, I should do everything I can to impress him and win his favor. I tried learning about his Italian background and when that didn't work I turned to the advice of others. They had me do so many different and embarrassing things, that I don't even want to repeat." His eye twitched in disgust as he thought of Francis. "Each time though, it seemed like I pushed Lovino further away, and that's when I realized I needed to stop listening to everyone else except for myself and Lovino. I needed to focus on him and what he wanted."

"And how did that work out?"

"He doesn't like showing it, but I think he's happy with the way things are now. Sure, we fight, but he's outspoken and not afraid to tell me what I'm doing wrong. So, I redouble my efforts and try my best to make up and make him happy the next time around. Other people don't notice it, but he's affectionate in certain ways and that makes the abuse all worthwhile." Antonio chuckled a little. "Any way, I think what I'm trying to say is that everyone goes through life in their own way… maybe you can just do things the way you normally would?"

"But that's easier said than done. I've never tried to connect with someone like this before. Why can't there be a guide for something like this? I want to approach this the right way, but there's no perfect way to go about it."

"Of course there isn't. We're countries that are swayed by what happens as a whole. We normally go with the flow with everything that happens, and I think the relationships we form with one another are the same. Why not just do what your instincts say?"

"Well, it's telling me to feed him food and possibly joining him in that Fußball... errr... football game he's so fond of. You know, fútbol, not the one the American's play… Maybe I should create a strategic itinerary for tomorrow where I'll map out the best places to eat and parks to visit."

"Esperar - wait. I think you're on the right path, but I don't think you have to create such an elaborate schedule. You could show him a different side of yourself he hasn't seen, like show him how Germans celebrate Valentine's Day."

"Ja, that does sound promising. Gilbert is handling the preparations, so it will be a nice surprise for me as well."

"Perfecto! I think that sounds like a great plan as well. Feliciano will probably enjoy it too, and somewhere along the way you can tell him how you feel."

Again, Ludwig smiled genuinely. "It could actually work." He stood and shook Antonio's hand. "Danke for listening to my ramblings and giving me advice. You have no idea how much you've helped me today. I promise this conference will stay between the two of us so you don't get yelled at by Lovino. I'll be sure to definitely return the favor as well."

"No hay problema. Don't even worry about it. I'm glad I was able to help you out. I'm rooting for you both. I hope it goes well. Tell me about it the next time you stop by."

"I will. Gracias Espagnia. I better get ready for tomorrow, there is much to do."

"Si. Buena suerte Alemania!" Antonio showed Ludwig to the door and waved happily after him. He felt heartwarmingly happy that he and Ludwig chatted. Not only did it feel like he gained a new best friend, but it fueled his excitement for his own Valentine's date with Lovino.

"I best get ready as well." Whistling a little tune, Antonio skipped off to get ready for tomorrow.

.:*:. .:*:..:*:. .:*:..:*:.

Meanwhile, back in Feliciano's kitchen, the sounds of dropping utensils, the sizzle and bubbling from the stove, and little shrieks from the two Italians added to the discorded tune that played the entire day. The trash was filled with discarded foodstuff wrappings, and there were several splotches of hardened chocolate randomly on the kitchen wall. The smell of burned chocolate was being fanned out the window as both brothers waved pans frantically trying to get the smoke and smell out the window.

"Fratello, please, let's stop just for tonight." Feliciano whined as the last of the smoke cloud disappeared into the late evening sky. "We haven't even had dinner and we've been cooking all this time." He then dug into his refrigerator took out the ingredients for some pasta and began making a quick dinner for them both. Lovino grabbed the wine, glasses, plates and utensils.

"Easy for you to say, we've been at it all day and haven't made a single batch of baci!"

"Vee… but I haven't fully recovered from my hangover, and something went wrong every time we tried. I didn't think it'd take so long or be this hard."

"It's not my fault that you ran out of chocolate and we had to go to the store to get more."

"But you used up my entire supply and I had several bags."

"What about the hazelnuts? Huh? You should have gotten them de-shelled to begin with."

"But you didn't even open any of them. You made me do all the shelling, fratello."

"As it should be since you were stupid enough to buy the whole ones instead of the ones that weren't. And you should have made a double boiler in the first place before we poured those two bags of chocolate in."

"Si, that was my fault. But you pouring in the water to the melted chocolate ruined that second batch."

"Yeah?! How was I supposed to know that you can't pour water into chocolate to make it more liquid-y?"

"At least we got some moldable chocolate through." They looked at the mini chocolate figurines on the table. Several of them resembled the other nations in the shape of mochi. Others looked like items they both enjoyed, like pasta and pizza. Feliciano happily picked up the one shaped like a tomato and popped it into his brother's mouth. "Though we probably shouldn't have taken a few hours to make and put faces on some of these."

Lovino shrugged. "Eh, it was during lunch time anyway. Not like we were in that much of a hurry."

"Si, but now we're paying for it. It's already late and nothing's been done."

"Well, tempering chocolate takes forever. I'll never get it. I'm too… I'm not good enough to do anything."

The older brother slumped into his chair and plopped his arms on the surface. His tired limbs strung across the work space and his chin rested on the table itself. He pouted unhappily as he took a swig of the wine. He glanced up at Feli through his bangs with a look of complete despair and defeat, which pulled at his own heartstrings. It was fairly alarming to see his brother so mopey. While he didn't prefer the anger, shouting, and blaming, he didn't like this blatantly defeatist brother either. He really was trying hard for Antonio.

"Don't worry Lovi. We'll spend all day tomorrow morning and you will make your own batch of perfectly made baci. I promise you I won't be hung over – and big brother Antonio will love what you make." Feli placed a hand on his brother's shoulder in comfort.

Lovino blushed while trying to hide his face. "Fine, we'll go to bed after dinner then, but I'm setting your alarm early. And I'm going to borrow your phone. Might as well tell the dumb ass where I'll be tonight."

* * *

A/N:

Whew! I am done with the fic, but due to story flow and spacing I've decided to upload this into chapters. I originally got the idea for this story in 2012 when I saw an advertisement for Baci Perugina online. It was just an adorable little chocolate treat that seems to suit the Italy brothers, so I figured, make a fic out of that. Ha. I had wanted to debut this story back then too, but I never finished it until now... and it's still late for Valentine's Day. (lazy cry) I'm not an avid writer, and I'm always busy, but I felt like I needed to complete this story. Plus, at the time, this was meant to be a short oneshot, and clearly it is not now. Hahaha! Honestly though, a big shout out to **Karuka Ikashi** - my motivator and Hetalia lover-in-arms. Her Spamano fics helped shaped this one. Check out her works if you're interested.

I like using their human names a lot, but I'm not gonna lie, it was difficult not calling them by their countries. I'll have to use their country names from now on. I also really like using words in their native languages – it's so fun to hear, but I apologize if that was annoying for you. And I really apologize if the grammar is incorrect. I had used Google translate and prayed that I at least got the message across.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and will consider leaving me your thoughts. I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!

Hetalia language lessons:

**Dolci**: Means "sweet" in Italian.

**Baci**: Means "kisses" in Italian.

**Baci Perugina**: An Italian confectionary company sells a candy called Baci or Baci Perugina. Their product includes a dark chocolate shell filled with a whole hazelnut and a chocolate-chopped hazelnut mixture. A love message/quote is written in a small piece of paper and is wrapped with the treat in a blue and silver wrapper. You can find out more about it if you search for it on Wikipedia or Google.

**Baci de dama**: Means "ladies' kisses" in Italian. It's an aromatic dessert where two hazelnut cookies are sandwiched together with melted chocolate. It supposedly originated from "Tortona, a little town South east of Torino [in northern Italy], and are made with almonds."

**Perezoso**: "Lazy bum" in Spanish.

**En serio?**: Spanish for "Oh really?"

**Paella**: A Spanish rice dish served with saffron, olive oil, various meats, seafood, vegetables, or a mix of all three depending on the type of paella being made.

**Leche flan**: Custard dessert with soft caramel on top.

**País de la Passión**: Spanish for "Country of Passion".

**Espera un minute**: Wait a minute in Spanish.

**Fußball**: "Soccer" in German. (Pronounced Fooze)

**Danke**: "Thanks" in German.

**No hay problema**: "No problem" in Spanish.


	2. Chapter 2: Baci Done Right

A/N: Translation notes at the bottom in case you want to know what certain phrases mean. Please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia. I just borrow the characters.

Rated: M for language and adult humor in the later chapters.

Pairings: & SpainxRomano, a sprinkle of other pairings.

Chapter warnings: Shounen Ai. Ridiculous fluff. Mild swearing. Use of human names. Use of sentences or words in other languages. Italics represent both thoughts and flashbacks.

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Chapter 2: Baci Done Right

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The morning of February 14th was a gorgeous sight. The sun rose lazily behind the fluffy clouds, birds twittered their songs, and lovers all over world would soon awaken to spend the day with their loved ones. There would be plenty of exchanges of smiles and tokens of love. A warm fuzzy feeling had already enveloped the world as the sickeningly sweet smell of chocolate and baked goods hung in the air. Normally, froufrou holidays like this were of no importance to Gilbert Beilschmidt. Red and pink heart cards? Bah! Bouquets of flowers and stuffed animals? Who needed those girly things like how the other countries celebrated? This year… this year was different. He had taken charge and worked his ass off to make this Valentine's Day a memorable one throughout the nation. According to Elizabeta Héderváry, Valentine's Day was all cutesy and lovey dovey, but Gilbert wanted none of that crap ever since he learned the truth from one of his best friends – Francis Bonnefoy. It was not going to be one for pussies. It would be a day to get some pussy or, well, laid in general. He was ridiculously proud of himself and righteously so since he planned everything out. He decorated the downtown areas of the big cities and organized a handful of events that would take place. Brother would be in awe of his magnificence and he could rub his awesomeness in her face this year.

"I am just so awesome. My plans are amazing and I am brilliant." He stood proudly in front of the city hall and hoisted up a banner that read, "Let's bang! XOXO" in bright red letters. "I know what Valentine's Day is about and Elizabeta was wrong all along!" The German laughed smugly towards the sunrise.

.:*:. .:*:..:*:. .:*:..:*:.

Elsewhere at Ludwig's house, the younger German woke up to the sound of his alarm clock. Precisely 7:00am. He threw the covers off of his bed to find himself alone again. After tidying his bed, he gave a sigh of relief knowing he was in the clear. Two days in a row without Feliciano, it was a record for sure, but now something he no longer wished to tally. Now that he sorted out his feelings for this best friend, the extra body under the covers, constant whining and eating, and rescue-the-idiot missions seemed a fraction less laborious. It was embarrassing to admit, but he missed Feliciano, and it was only a day without him.

"It's a weird feeling." Ludwig thought. "How can it feel so crazy to love someone and natural at the same time? I thought I'd be up all night worrying about this, yet, I slept really well."

One thing Ludwig determined upon reflection was that the love he had for Feli was already there. It may have been dormant, but deep down it was constantly building up from a foundation of memories and experiences. So, when realization came crashing down yesterday, he panicked, but eased into it at the same time. It was relieving. It was as easy as choosing beer over water. It was something he hoped the other would feel as well.

"_Can it really be that easy for me? Wasn't love supposed to be some complicated mess? I feel like I'm doing it wrong. And what about Feliciano? How would he respond if I told him? When I tell him…"  
_

A strange sort of calm took over him. _"I am going to tell him today. I am going to tell him today."_ He repeated like a mantra, though not to give him strength or reassurance. Rather, he said it out of hope. The friendship wall between the two countries crumbled and it was like looking at a prospective frontier for the first time. It was unknown territory that Ludwig was eager to discover.

Unfortunately, making arrangements with Feliciano was a little difficult last night. It took Ludwig several moments of pacing around his room and deciding on what to say before he could call and make plans. A little speech was planned out in his head, but he didn't get a chance to say what he intended. Instead of Feli on the other line, he was greeted by Lovi - a very angry Italian brother who disapproved of his late night phone call. Feli had his hands full wrestling with his brother for the phone for the entirety of the conversation. Requesting to meet was mostly lost in the verbal shuffle due to Lovino's yelling in the background. The only thing confirmed in the conversation was that he'd pick him up at noon. The other Italian in bed made it very clear that he was a horrible person and that he'd keep his brother far away from Ludwig's bed in the morning. Half of him was irritated at the declaration, but the other half of him was secretly grateful too since extra time was allotted to prepare for the day's festivities. After properly showering and dressing for the day, he sighed and hoped that some of the favors he called in and items he asked the store clerks to put aside last night would be ready for pick up.

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Feliciano woke early that morning, long before his alarm clock was supposed to go off. Dawn was still visible, but his mind was buzzing. Usually he'd sleep in like a lazy bum until his grumpy bed companion yelled at him, but today was too exciting and far too important for extra sleep. He slipped out of bed allowing Lovino to luxury until the alarm clock was supposed to go off. After quietly doing his morning routine and dressing casually, he went to the kitchen. In a drawer over by the corner he pulled out a box of Baci Perugina, a pen and piece of paper. Yesterday's disaster in the kitchen was one he did not want to repeat. No, he'd be prepared for this important day. Since he wasn't thinking straight yesterday, he completely forgot he had a box for an after dinner treat. Taking the last pieces, he studied the candy, sliced it in half and observed the contents. Feli poked, squished, smelled and tasted the last pieces and jotted down a few quick notes, formulating the steps he needed to take to replicate it. When he felt the instructions and steps were complete, he started prepping breakfast. He and Lovino would need their strength since they would be fully concentrating on the chocolates today.

"_Vee… I feel so happy! I get to help make chocolate for my two favorite fratellos and Ludwig is going to pick me up later! And by helping Lovino, I get to make chocolates for him too… A-and then I'll get to tell him what I've been thinking about lately."  
_  
The truth of the matter was his best friend has been on his mind for a while now. They were close, yes, but with the approaching holiday of love, he could feel there was a change. There was something… more. Ludwig didn't feel like just a friend anymore. It was an awkward position – not just a friend, but not quite a lover. Whatever it was, he couldn't help but gravitate towards the German more than usual. Little by little he became the reason why he loved sneaking into his bed only to be yelled at in the morning. Or why it didn't bother him when he was taking a verbal beating and pushed to his limits.

Despite all those times, there were moments where a different side of Ludwig appeared as well. It was easy to notice his love of learning and deep respect for the history of other countries. He even knew so much about his grandfather. Good food and good beer always put him in a jovial mood and he encouraged visiting local pubs and taverns instead of franchises. Secretly, when he thought he was unnoticed, there were instances where the German was actually relaxed, peaceful, and pleasant. Even though he could be terrifying when screaming orders, Feli always knew it was to make people be the best they could be. He cares about his allies… in his own strict way. Knowing this, Feli listened to everything Ludwig said and worked as much as his pathetic abilities allowed him. Complaining was unavoidable, but everything he attempted – it has always been for Ludwig. It might have made Feliciano stupidly masochistic, but if it allowed him to spend time with the person he cared about most, he didn't mind. So, when the other country called him the night before, he was elated.

_"He called! I can't believe it! He wants to meet up tomorrow for Valentine's Day! Yahoo!"_

_The whole conversation was kind of rushed since Lovino started wrestling the phone away from him trying to hang up. It didn't matter though, Feli was ecstatic. Not even the lecture his brother gave him after the tussle could bring him down. In fact, he called Kiku and Elizabeta to tell them his happy news. The two of them were going on a date on Valentine's Day! He giggled happily even as Lovi squashed his face into the pillow._

"_Shut-up! Stop with the giggling! You're so annoying. I don't know what you see in that patate bastardo."_

_The younger brother stilled and turned to face his older counterpart. "It's probably the same thing you see in fratello Antonio."_

"_W-wha-!" Lovino's face lit up in alarm again._

"_You don't have to agree or deny it. Your face is giving it away already." Feli smiled teasingly. "He just… makes me happy, you know? With the way he is. He's weird, but normal. Strict, but for good reason. Mean, but caring. Scary, but an occasional softie. He watches out for me like how Antonio watches over you. When I think of him, my heart feels warm. When I'm with him, I feel safe. I just wish… I could spend more time with him. Never be separated from him."_

_Lovino turned on his side and faced Feliciano head on. He knew exactly who he was alluding to even if he didn't realize it himself. Holy Roman Empire was a mystery to him, but Lovi knew well enough that the boy held a major place in Feli's heart. It wasn't clear if his younger brother ever healed that scar; Feliciano would never talk about it, so he wouldn't dare tread upon it. Instead, he reached out his hand and patted his head. _

"_Yeah, yeah. Enough with the lovey dovey crap. Go to bed, we have to get up early tomorrow."_

_Smiling to the touch, Feliciano closed his eyes peacefully and sighed._

"_B__uona notte, __fratello."_

"_Si, good night."_

Feliciano stopped making the cappuccino for a moment as he recalled how gently his brother patted his head. It reminded him of Grandpa Rome.

"_Lovi can be so nice sometimes."_ With a couple dashes of chocolate powder, the cappuccinos were ready. He then put the bigger croissant on his brother's plate and drizzled a chocolate sauced heart on top. _"I wonder if he learned to be more affectionate because of Antonio. Vee… then that means, all the more reason to make a perfect batch of baci for them to enjoy!"_ And as if on cue, his alarm clock rang from his bedroom.

Rousing Lovi from his slumber took a while, but he eventually got up once Feli reminded him it was Valentine's Day.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Lovi! This is my treat for you! Bon Appetit!"

Lovi sat down to the offering of the freshly brewed java and buttery pastry that had hints of chocolate. Slightly dazed, he consumed it all, and Feli could have sworn he smiled while chewing.

"I figured that since you'll spend the day with Antonio, you'll be eating lots of chocolate, so I only put a little in your breakfast. I didn't want you to suffer from a sweet overload too early in the morning."

"Uh… grazie."

The older Italian said very little, and more astoundingly, complained little as well. He only grumbled every now and then as he mulled around while grooming and dressing. His behavior left Feli guessing as to what was going on inside his brother's head.

"_Is he still sleepy? Usually he'd whine about lumpy pillows or how I made the coffee."_

"Feliciano, is everything ready to make baci?" Lovino caught him off guard as he cast him a determined glance and smirked. "I want to get going so I can see Antonio as soon as I can."

"_Aww, that's cute!" _Feli thought as a smile illuminated his face. "Si! Let's get going fratello!" They both rolled up their sleeves as they began day two of the baci making challenge.

To be safe, the duo placed out everything that was needed. Feliciano told Lovino the basic instructions of what they had to do and when it needed to be done. Ingredients were measured, and utensils were always in reach. Timers were exact and so were the temperatures. Lovino was exceptionally diligent this time around. He kept checking with his brother before he made a move. And though he lost his temper and yelled a few times, he didn't panic like yesterday, nor sulk when something went wrong… like when he slightly burned his hand while reaching for the hazelnuts roasting in the oven. Together they chopped, stirred, waited, roasted, chilled, and labored on each component of the baci. Before either of them realized it, they had completed several batches about a half hour before noon.

"Abbiamo finito!" Lovi threw his hands in the air after putting the last batch of chocolates in the fridge for the chocolate shells to harden.

"Si! We did finish it! And with extra time! Congratulazioni, fratello!"

Lovi laughed in triumph and smiled uncharacteristically sweetly. "Oh, before I forget, here…" He went back into the fridge and looked for a specific baci piece. It was one of two pieces that were abnormally bigger than the rest. He picked it up and shoved it into his brother's mouth. "I made a big one for Antonio and this big one especially for you, for all your help. Grazie, Feliciano. Happy Valentine's Day."

"Mmmmraarrrweeeeccuurrmmm" Feli tried to speak as he chewed the ginormous piece of hazelnut chocolate that filled his mouth. Some pieces went flying out.

"Lordo! Don't spit my chocolate out at me! I worked hard to make that, you dumb ass!"

Feliciano could only chomp happily and contently. They both laughed as they finished up writing the little love notes that usually went with the chocolates.

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Ludwig arrived at Italy's house several minutes early but stayed in his car. Observing good manners, he didn't want to go in too soon and catch him by surprise. As he sat there, another car pulled in close by. A moment later, Antonio exited his vehicle and made his way over to Ludwig.

"Alemania! What a coincidence to find you here. How are you, mi amigo?"

"I'm doing well, thank you. I actually just arrived and was going to pick up Feliciano in a moment."

"Ah, I came here to pick up Lovino. Apparently my guess was right yesterday. He spent the entire day with his brother."

"I see. Well, hopefully they didn't get into too much trouble on their own."

The Spanish country laughed nervously not wanting to imagine the possible damage. "Were you able to get everything ready for today?"

"Yes. It was hectic since it was last minute, but the things I requested for are fairly commonplace, so it's not like I needed to special order or request overnight delivery. The managers just set some things aside for me."

"Ah, Is that so? Well that's good. I've got a few things ready for Lovino as well." He nudged towards the car. Ludwig looked over and could only spot the top of a guitar in the back seat.

"I didn't know you play."

"Si, but I haven't played in a little while. I need to practice more. I hope I don't mess up tonight."

"I'm sure you won't, Antonio."

The two continued to make small talk as they went up to the door and rang for the duo inside. Feli was quick to welcome them both, while Lovi stayed quiet and off to the side as he stole glances at Antonio. Antonio couldn't fathom why he was embarrassed all of a sudden, but shrugged it off.

"_Another of his mood swings, I guess. Seems like he's in a good mood though."_

Lovino turned his back to Ludwig all the while he stood in the living room, but the shunned didn't care. His heart was slightly racing, excited for the events of the day. Within five minutes they all stepped out the door.

"Oh, what do you have there, Lovino?" Antonio asked while trying to peek at the package Lovino was hiding behind his back.

"I-it's nothing. Don't look!" Lovino waved an arm in front of him as if warding off the Spaniard.

"Vee… I forgot my package in the kitchen. Let me go get it. I'll be right back." Feliciano ran back to the house.

As soon as he was out of sight Lovino turned and pointed at Ludwig who was trailing a few steps behind.

"Hey, Mr. Weiner breath, I have something to say to you before we leave."

Antonio watched nervously as Lovi approached the German. He glared at the taller man with the fiercest look he could think of and puffed up his chest a bit. Though annoying, Ludwig had to admit that Lovi had guts. Misused and misdirected guts, but he had them nonetheless. Yet, his pouty face and crossed arms made it difficult to take the older Italian seriously.

"Listen you double stuffed potato muscle builder. I have been on my best behavior today in front of my brother so now I am going to let lose all the crap I've been holding back. I don't like you. You smell like cheap beer and chopped up animal parts. If I had my way, I wouldn't let you anywhere near my brother because you are not as cool as you think you are." Lovino wiggled an accusatory finger at him. "But I care about my idiota brother and even though he clearly has poor taste and doesn't see you for the worthless drunken country that you are, I will let him go with you today… on your date… without a fuss…" Lovi really strained himself to say that as nicely as he could. "I owe him that much, so you better not break my brother's heart or I will seriously bring upon the wrath of the Roman Empire on your chiseled ass. By the time I'm done with you, even the mafia won't be able to sell your body parts in the black market."

Lovi then pulled out a tomato from his pocket and squished it in front of Ludwig's face so that the juicy innards came gushing out. Regrettably, the juice and seeds sprayed all over Lovino's face instead. He coughed and spurted trying to get the gunk off. "Antonio, get over here and help me damn, it!" The Spaniard sighed, pulled out a handkerchief and began wiping his lover's face.

Ludwig continued to stand there at a loss for words. The Italy brothers were truly something else. Truly two idiots… when they wanted to be. And he couldn't figure out why Lovino carried a tomato in his pocket. However, the message he conveyed was very clear.

Antonio turned to Ludwig and said, "Sorry, mi amigo. He didn't mean it. He's just looking out for Feli. You know how brothers are."

"Ja. I know. I have Gilbert after all. Danke, Antonio." Addressing Lovi's threats, he said, "And don't worry about Feliciano. I promise he'll have a great day today."

Lovi protested, but the Spaniard gave a wink and led him to his car. "Good luck today, Ludwig. I hope everything goes as planned." After the younger Italian returned, his two favorite fratellos gave a final goodbye and drove off.

"I wonder why Lovi looked so upset."

"Don't worry about it. He just got some tomato on his face."

"Vee…?"

"A-anyway, are you ready to head out now?"

"Si! Let's go! Let's go, Ludwig!"

"Ja, ja, get in the auto."

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A/N:

Ah, a bit of a short chapter, I think... but then again I didn't plan to have chapters in the first place. Oh well. One thing I've learned while writing this fic is that I've got a deeper appreciation for the different countries. I did a lot of research for this story and ended up learning a bunch of interesting things about the Europeans. Too many things to list, but Hetalia really makes history fun. And I also grew to love Romano and Prussia a lot more as I "studied" their characters a bit. And by study I mean go through a Hetalia marathon while writing this. They are so much fun. If you enjoyed this chapter please don't hesitate to leave a comment. Thanks!  
Hetalia Language Lesson:

**Grazie**: "Thanks" in Italian.

**Abbiamo finite**: "We finished" in Italian.

**Buena suerte Alemania**: "Good luck Germany" in Spanish.


	3. Chapter 3: Waiting for the Right Time

A/N: Lots of translation notes at the bottom in case you want to know what certain phrases mean. Please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia. I just borrow the characters.

Rated: M for language and adult humor.

Pairings: Germany x N. Italy & Spain x Romano, a sprinkle of other pairings.

Chapter warnings: Shounen Ai. Ridiculous fluff. Mild swearing and crude mentioning of sexual themes. Use of human names. Use of sentences or words in other languages. Italics represent both thoughts and flashbacks.

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Chapter 3: Waiting for the Right Time

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Feliciano stared at the scenery as they drove along the busy streets. Couples were everywhere that afternoon. He took note as to how most lovers held hands or leaned into each other as they walked. Little signs of public affection made him smile. _"I'll have to try holding Ludwig's hand later today,"_ giggling inwardly at the idea. Every now and then he heard the laughter of happy children and spotted them skipping along with their families. Today was truly a great day to express love and Feli decided he'd do his best as well.

"_But how?"_ In the past whenever he wanted to get the attention of a pretty lady, he'd throw compliments her way. Treat her to a nice meal and be as charming as possible. The more gestures and interest shown, the better… or at least that's what he thought. Ludwig was completely different though. Whenever he displayed any of these behaviors, he usually got punched, put into a headlock, yelled at, or put to work.

"_It's difficult loving someone who is so tough and manly. I guess I'll just have to try and be more assertive in order to tell him how I feel today."_

Sneaking a glance, he studied Ludwig's profile. Good posture, strong jaw, eyes that always looked straight ahead. Not just because he was driving, but he always worked hard towards whatever goal he set. There was no doubt that he was an admirable man, one he felt incompatible with. He was so much better at… everything. Still, though… his desire to be with Ludwig was great. He wouldn't let this man slip away from him… Feli would enjoy every single moment with him today.

"Where are we going today, Ludwig?"

"I kind of want to keep it a surprise… but basically, I wanted to show you how Valentine's Day is celebrated here while we go out and have fun."

"Vee… that sounds exciting! I can't wait! I mean, I can't wait to learn more about you. "

Ludwig blushed at the comment but remained silent, unable to reply. A short ride later they arrived at their destination. Plenty of trees lined a wide grassy area. The space was huge. One side stood a tall playground with colorfully decorated slides and platforms for kids to run around on. Another side has sheltered picnic tables.

"Uwaahh! A park! Yahoo!"

Ludwig was happy to see Feli's excitement. "I hope you don't mind. I-I thought it had the best fußball field."

"Oh, si? That's stupendo! I want to play calcio with you too. But I want to check out the playground for the bambini as well!"

"Uh… yeah… whatever you want."

Feli was out the door as soon as Ludwig parked.

"Don't hurt yourself on the playground!" Ludwig called after him as Feli rushed to get on the slide. He shook his head at his happy-go-lucky aloofness. Opening the trunk, he pulled out some of the items he had requested the night before. A red and white picnic blanket was tucked under one arm while he held a fußball under the other. Before catching up with Feli, he set up a small area for the two of them, and bought some waterbottles from a food stall not too far away. He stood just outside the play area where Feliciano was swinging on the monkey bars with ease. The coordination he showed surprised Ludwig. _"Yet, another thing he could have harnessed on the battle field if he applied himself."_ He smirked.

"Oi, Feliciano, do you want to kick around the fußball with me?"

Feli stopped swinging and looked over. Grinning widely, he dropped down and ran over. The field was occupied by two small teams so they decided to take their game off to the side. They marked their goals with sticks that Feliciano used to make white flags.

"First to five goals wins, what do you say, Ludwig?"

"Just five? Fine by me, but don't expect me to go easy on you."

"I know you won't, but I'm not gonna make it easy for you either!"

"Cheeky. Real cheeky, Feliciano." He welcomed the edgy challenging attitude. "You're going to be whining about your loss before you know it."

The match between the two started with both sides taking the game seriously. Using his brute strength and tall intimidating stature, Ludwig pushed forward and broke through the shorter man's defenses. Within several minutes he already scored twice. For a moment, he felt smug having taken the lead so early into the game. However, his self-assurance slowly faded when Feliciano took the upper hand. He was small with a poor defense against the German force, but he was light on his feet and used quick footwork to move the ball beyond Ludwig's reach. He ran quicker than Ludwig could and scored three goals on his own. One of them by accident when he tripped, face planted on the ball, and propelled it into the goal. They went back and forth play-fighting for territory and looking for openings. The final goal to decide the winner came quicker than they thought.

"Are you ready to lose Feliciano?"

"I'm giving it all I've got!"

Feliciano kicked off and came towards Ludwig who stood guard over his goal. Concentrating, the Italian sped forward directly straight. Ludwig took a deep breath waiting until the last moment to see which direction he would take. Several steps more and he spotted the shift in weight to the right. He didn't move and continued to observe. Another few steps and he shifted again – it was a fake to the right, so that meant…

"_Left!"_

Feliciano took the kick the same time Ludwig took the jump. The ball hit him squarely on the chest. It dropped and he immediately began running towards Feli's goal. Feliciano backed up and charged from the side ready to intercept. Getting ahead of both Ludwig and the ball, he leapt forward with his leg extended for a dive.

"_Predictable."_ Ludwig thought as he kicked the ball up and avoided stepping on the now grounded Italian. He sped up towards the defenseless goal and with a steady kick, shot the ball and won the match. He turned, jogged back to Feliciano, and helped him up. They both smiled at the great game they had. From the sidelines they both heard a slight applause. Apparently, the two teams that took the field had stopped their practice and watched the game.

One of the players wearing a green jersey came up to them and said, "That was a great game to watch. You're both very good."

"Ah, thank you very much!" Feliciano beamed.

Another player in red came up to them. "We were wondering, if you're not too tired, our teams are both short a person, would you both like to play with us?"

"Ooh, I want to! Can we, Ludwig? How do you feel?"

"I'm fine. Give me a moment to get some water and we can play."

"Great! We'll see you on the field."

Ludwig was given the red jersey while Feliciano took the green. They partook in the mini skirmish and continued to compete with each other late into the afternoon. Just like the match between the two countries, both sides fought hard to score points for their each respective team. They ran back and forth throughout the field, exhausting their stamina, but having fun all the while. Ludwig enjoyed observing Feliciano's fancy footwork as he rushed past a few of his team members. He seemed slightly more aggressive while playing and he liked seeing it. Feliciano rarely had confidence in anything except making pasta, white flags, or in being a wuss, so this confidence boost was alluring. Swift movements, quick turns and light leaps almost looked like Feliciano was dancing across the field, which was extremely unlike the sluggish running and lazy unmotivated attitude he usually showed. Feli was still the same though, made evident by the occasional clumsy mistakes made during the game, but he was trying his best, which is all that mattered.

"_At least he plays hard. Can't say much for anything else."_

During the final kick off Feliciano was passed the ball and went straight for the green team's goal. Ludwig ran in his direction. Wanting to catch him off guard, he decided to attack rather than steal. Bracing himself, he leaped, leg extending far and went for a dive. Feli was caught by surprise – he only had enough time to nudge the ball to his teammate off to the side before tumbling to the ground with Ludwig. Wanting to protect him, Ludwig wrapped his arms around the smaller frame as they rolled a few times to the side. Regaining his sense of balance he laid on top of the Italian. Looking over at the goal, he watched as the player in the green jersey kicked the ball high into the corner of the post. The stationed goalie wasn't able to reach it in time and the ball sailed into the net. Feliciano's team won and roars of triumph echoed throughout the field.

"You won, Feli-"

"Mmm…" Feliciano's purr like moan cut him off.

Looking down, Ludwig noticed the fierce blush and helpless expression on his face. In a daze, Feli reached up and placed a hand around his neck, while the other gripped the hand next to his head. He stiffened unsure why Feli looked so provocative all of a sudden.

"L-Ludwig… I… please…"

"Uh…" His eyes went wide and his heart sped up as he watched the Italian pant heavily. "A-are you all right? Did I hurt you?"

"Mmm… j-just… please… ah…"

There was no doubt that his entire body blended with the color of his jersey. Ludwig was unsure what to do as he felt Feli wiggle and squirm underneath him. His legs rubbed against him in the worst possible way… and by worst, he meant most tempting possible way.

"Ah… please… Ludwig, I can't… l-let go of my hair."

"Eh?" Looking to the side he noticed his hand pinned the little hair curl underneath his palm. He jumped up as if being taken hostage with his hands in the air. "Ah, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to touch that spot!" He knew very well what that curl meant to Feliciano. He had made the blunder of touching it before, mistakenly making his best friend hot and bothered. He looked away humiliated that he made contact with something so sensitive.

"That's all right Ludwig." He sat up and straightened out his curl. The jersey and shirt he wore was pulled to the side, showing a little of his pronounced collarbone. Ludwig continued to blush looking down at his disheveled appearance and cute innocent face. He extended his hand offering to help him up, which Feli took without hesitation. He even smiled back shyly. No one else seemed to see this exchange since they were caught up celebrating the win. The team members started walking up to the duo in thanks and congratulations for their supporting roles. It was then that Ludwig stepped away.

"I-I need water. I'll be back." He rushed over to their spot, bent forward and emptied the water all over his head attempting to cool down.

"_Calm down. It's not a big deal. He's not upset, so you don't need to be either. It was an accident."_ He looked over to Feli who gave him a wink. _"Damn it!"_ He couldn't take his cuteness. As quickly as possible, he ran to the food stall for another water bottle.

"_Ludwig must be dehydrated. He's so thirsty… though the water would do better for him if he drank it. I guess it wouldn't be a good time to give him the baci if he needs water that badly…"_ The Italian shrugged while approaching their blanket to grab his own drink.

Ludwig returned having composed himself. After freshening up and resting a little, Feliciano's stomach rumbled. He laughed uncomfortably as Ludwig took note.

"Ah, I forgot I haven't eaten anything since breakfast."

"Oh, I thought you ate lunch with your brother since you wanted to be picked up a little late. Why don't we get an early dinner then?"

"Si! Let's have pasta."

"Actually, I was thinking I'd take you at a little restaurant Gilbert and I like going to. They're serving pasta tonight, so I think you'd enjoy it."

"That sounds like a really good plan. Let's try it out."

After saying good bye to their new found comrades, they departed for their next destination. The drive was mellow, especially with the radio playing music in the background. Driving to the restaurant took very little time since it was local. By the time Feliciano's stomach rumbled again, they were already parked in front of a small rustic looking tavern. The sign simply read, "Lukas' Tavern" in beautiful red script. The outside looked pleasant, but it did well to hide the chaos going on inside. There were couples everywhere with nearly every stall and bar space taken up. Mouthwatering smells of grilled food wafted through the air and Feli could hear the heavy clinking of glass from all the beer drinkers. A small live band was playing festive music in the corner with people lively dancing along in the center dance floor. Feliciano was thoroughly enjoying the atmosphere of the restaurant that he almost missed Ludwig walking to the man at the bar. The man was tall and burly with bulging muscles. His hair was as blonde as Ludwig's, eyes were green, and he had well-trimmed beard on his pronounced jaw.

One look and Feliciano had a fleeting thought: _"The owner must also be the bouncer."_

"Lukas!" The German shouted over the noise to get his friend's attention.

"Ah, Mr. Beilschmidt - good to see you, mein freund. Is Gilbert with you today?"

"Ja, nice to see you too, though it looks like you're swamped. And no, not today. He's been busy dealing with Valentine's Day in the city today. I'm with my… uh," he pulled Feliciano close to him. "I'm with Feliciano today. Feliciano, this is Lukas the owner of this tavern. Lukas, this is Feliciano Vargas."

"Oh, so nice to meet you, Lukas. Your place is so exciting!"

"Nice to meet you too. Glad to hear you like it. I put my heart into this place. Anyway, give me a second and I'll have your usual table set up for you. I think you'll both like what I have set up for the Valentine's feast. I really had to think creatively today because only certain produce was allowed to be sold today… something about health benefits to last late into the night. Oh well." He shrugged at Ludwig. "It even has pasta like you recommended last night." He gave a wink as the German turned pink, slightly flustered.

"Oh, no, I just like your pasta dishes and thought Feli would like it too."

"_He called Lukas just for me?" _Feli wondered.

Lukas then signaled Birgit, one of the waitresses over. She led the two of them to an intimate booth in the back, where the noise and music wasn't as blaring. They both sat down as the lady handed them utensils and napkins.

"I'll be out with your appetizers very soon. Would you like to have the wine of the day?"

"Si!"

"Yeah, whatever Lukas recommends."

"Wunderbar, I'll be right back."

When she left, Feli asked, "Is there a menu to order from?"

"Oh, actually, Lukas does a daily special every day. He makes menus based off of what's available at the farmer's market in the morning. The menu is usually a surprise, however, I called him last night and he told me he would put pasta on the menu today. So, that's why I wanted to bring you here. He doesn't normally put pasta on the menu, but when he does, it's absolutely delicious."

Feli watched fascinated with how animated and happy he was talking about his friend's cooking.

"I hope you don't mind… if you do you can order something else, but it won't have any pasta."

"It's fine. I want to try the pasta you especially recommend to me."

The waitress came back with two wine glasses and a bottle of well-aged red wine. She uncorked and poured. Birgit then left only to return with a small tray of raw oysters and plates of salad.

"For your appetizers we have iced oysters on the half shell and a fresh fig, prosciutto, and arugula salad with shaved parmesan and truffle vinaigrette. Let me know if you need anything, otherwise, please enjoy."

Feli took a big bite of the salad and his taste buds felt like they exploded. It was as if fireworks were going off in his mouth in a good way. His palate tasted all of the different types of flavors in the well-blended and balanced salad. He mewled in pleasure.

"Stupendo! Delizioso! This is so unexpected. I never would have thought this place had such tasty food. And this is just the salad."

"Don't let the exterior fool you, Feliciano. Lukas is a top rated chef who trained extensively under four star chefs. He just opened up this tavern to suit his personality a little more. He got tired of working in snobby upper class areas. He prefers working directly with farmers that he can befriend. It's one of the reasons Gilbert and I like supporting his business."

"How very nice and respectable."

The duo continued easting and making small talk about the other foods Lukas has made before. Ludwig was the first to tackle the oysters adding lemon to his piece. Feli couldn't help but giggle a little as he watched the wobbly piece slide off the shell into his mouth. His tongue partially licked at his lips that had some of the juice. It went from the bottom lip to the top slowly before it went back into his mouth. Focusing on his lips made him recall when Ludwig laid on top of him at the field. At the time when his hair was accidentally being caressed, he could only look up at his face. It was beet red, but full of concern, which was a very cute look. If Ludwig wasn't touching such a hypersensitive spot at the time, he probably would have told him so. Or he would have kissed him. He couldn't make up his mind as to what he would have really done.

"Stop spacing out Feliciano."

"Vee…?"

"The main course is here."

"For the entrée we have pasta with salmon, Bousin cheese, and mushrooms." Birgit placed the generously portioned plate in front of Feli. "And you have the pasta with wurst as requested." She placed another plate in front of Ludwig, but two long sausages were on the platter instead of a salmon steak. They thanked her as she walked away. Feliciano took a moment to savor how bright and appealing the dish looked and smelled. Twirling the fettuccini noodles around his fork and grabbing a little bit of each ingredient, the Italian took a bite. Just like the salad, it was ridiculously delicious. He chewed slowly not wanting to miss out on anything the food offered to treat him to. The meal so far was rich and filling that it was as if the warmth of the dish spread throughout the rest of his body.

"_Or is it the wine?"_ He took another swig.

Looking over at Ludwig, he watched him in the midst of biting one of the sausages. One end of the wurst slowly made its way into his mouth. Again, Feli was captivated by his darn lips as it encircled the meaty stick before clamping down. Feliciano's face heated to a bright red as his eyes locked with Ludwig. Tugging at his shirt slightly fanning himself, he looked away feeling like he was caught for being a peeping tom.

"Are you all right Feliciano? Oh no, you're not drunk already are you?"

"N-no. That's not it." The Italian waved his hands, but continued looking elsewhere, embarrassed that he was even thinking such thoughts. _"Since when did I think about Ludwig that way? Lordo, help me."_

"I-it's just that the food is so tantalizing – I mean amazing! So good that I can't even think straight!" He continued flailing about looking for some sort of excuse.

Ludwig smiled. "I'm so glad you're enjoying it. That really makes me happy to hear that."

"_Perfect!"_ The German thought. _"He looks so happy. This is going so well, I think I can give him my presents then."_ His hand hovered over his jacket pocket which had two small boxes. "_And I can tell him how I feel. Finally."_

A short while later Birgit returned cleaning off the dirty dishes and replacing it with dessert. "For your final course we have a mini spiced chocolate fondue with assorted fruit." She placed a small fondue pot in-between them and included a tiered stand with strawberries, pineapple, bananas, and apple slices. "Please be careful, the pot is hot."

Feli was already pretty full, so he appreciated the small fruit portions. Taking a strawberry on a stick, he dipped it into the oozing chocolate and took a bite. Immediately, he could taste the hint of cinnamon or possibly chili while chewing the crisp strawberry. It was refreshing, but with a kick. None of what he tasted was overpowering, and certainly left him satisfied. Feli looked up as he watched a piece of banana move from the chocolate pool to Ludwig's mouth. A bit of chocolate remained on his lip as the banana tip made its way in. Feli's heart sped up instantly and for the second time that evening he sat flustering over the attraction he had for his date.

"Feliciano, I would like to give you a few things. I picked them up yesterday because they're something that Germans give others on Valentine's Day… when they care about them."

It was Ludwig's turn to blush and fidget. First, he pulled out the small black box from his pocket. The Italian could only stare in shock at what Ludwig was holding.

"Wait, what? For me? But I didn't buy you something!"

"Yes, I ordered it yesterday, and I was lucky to get ahold of it. I picked it out especially for you. I think it will really suit you. And don't worry about giving me something. I bought this because I wanted to express how I really feel… about you."

Exciting apprehension took hold as he stared at Ludwig and the box. The only words that scrolled through his mind were, "Holy crap." He held his hands out and took hold of the box. The package was light and he heard something jingle inside. His hand trembled as he slowly opened it. Pulling the item out, the excitement and he felt deflated within seconds. In his hand was a small miniature pig statue. The pink piggy had a vest with the Italian flag on its back. It also had a content looking face while holding a plate of what looked like spaghetti.

Ludwig smiled happily, mistaking Feliciano's silence as acceptance. "I was so surprised they had one with your flag on it. And the spaghetti is kind of cute too."

Feliciano was at a loss for words. All the good feelings he had throughout dinner dissolved. He went from burning hot to freezing cold amazed at Ludwig's audacity. _"This is what Ludwig thinks of me?!"_ Staring at the statue he burst into tears."Waaaaaaahhhhh! You think I'm a fat pig that eats too much spaghetti?!"

Alarmed, Ludwig snapped out of his happy mood. "W-what?! No!"

"But this is how you feel about me?! You think I'm only a piggy that eats spaghetti?!" Feli stood angrily; hand shaking as he held the little figure out in front of him. He sniffled and wailed ignoring the stares they were getting from the surrounding diners.

"No! Feliciano, that's not what I meant! It's popular to give out these pig statues during Valentine's Day! It's supposed to be cute!" He stood up as well trying to calm down his date. "I'm so sorry, this isn't what I meant to imply."

"But the porker is so big and all it's doing is eating!"

"I –I just… I thought you'd like the spaghetti detail because you love pasta. And I don't normally find these with other nation's flags on them. I thought it was special because it reminded me of you. It reminded me of your country. And it's not about the pig. Pigs are a symbol of good luck." The German tried desperately to explain to the Italian.

Feli took a few breaths and stopped sobbing. "So, you don't think I'm a fat pig that eats too much pasta?"

"Nien. I do not."

"Oh, ok." He wiped the last of his tears. "I guess I understand. I didn't know about that custom here."

Ludwig felt incredibly horrible. _"I didn't even consider that the figurine was insulting. I've always seen these around, so I assumed he'd like them too. Ugh, I am such a fool. I can't believe I upset Feliciano so badly."_

"I'm sorry, here, let me take it back and get you something better." He reached out and grabbed a hold of the pig.

"No, no, it's ok. I'll keep it." Feli tugged the statue back. "I didn't understand the meaning behind your gift, but now that I do, it's not so bad."

"No, it's already made you upset, you don't have to hold onto it. I'll get something nicer for you so you don't have to think about it ever again." He pulled the pig again.

"No, it's ok, I want it, I said!"

They both pulled on the pig statue, wrestling for it. Feli grunted as Ludwig repeatedly pulled it towards him. Raising his arms, Feli got a little bit of a better grip. They both pulled and yelled at each other to let go. Birgit swiftly walked towards the scene makers to try and calm them down. All of a sudden both men lost their handle on the statue and it came plopping down directly into the chocolate fondue pot. The pot broke in half and hot chocolate-y liquid coated the table. The statue rolled off the edge onto the floor right as Brigit dashed forward in an attempt to stop the chocolate from dripping down. Her foot caught on the statue, cracking it into a few pieces, and she came tumbling forward faceplanting into the hot chocolate table. Screaming, she hopped around calling for water, in which both Ludwig and Feli reached for their neighbor's glasses of water and doused her in it. The cold immediately took over the burning she originally felt. They all stood there for a several seconds teetering between mortifying crying and howling amusement. The silence broke with Birgit who started hysterically laughing. The mortification that encompassed Ludwig slowly turned to laughter as well. Upon seeing Ludwig laugh, Feliciano and the people around them followed suit hooting just as hard in the background.

Several minutes later, they all calmed down. The duo apologized profusely to Birgit. She then took her break to clean up and apologize in return for destroying the pig statue. Lukas came over to clear up while getting the story as to what happened. Not to further embarrass themselves, Ludwig paid for the meal and the damage, tipped Birgit a hefty sum, and left the tavern with Feliciano. They sat in the car not saying anything to each other.

Ludwig turned and finally spoke, "I'm sorry about what happened in there. I can understand if you want to go home now. I feel like I ruined the rest of your day."

Feli slightly frowned. "No, I don't want to go home yet. We still have time before the day is over. I'd… I'd rather be with you than not." He reached for the German's hand and started poking it. He remained silent.

"I was kind of hoping you'd stay. I wanted to go to the city and look at Gilbert's handiwork. I don't know too much about what he chose to do, but I think he mentioned something about the plant sculptures at the botanical gardens. We can even check out the farmer's market that Lukas likes to shop at."

"Si, I'd like to see that. Let's go there then."

"Ja. Let's go."

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A/N:

Oh goodness, this whole section was so much fun to write. So much crazy situations to work with here. Poor Germany. Poor poor Germany. Looking over each section I realized I really torture the guy. But he really is so fun to pick at. Italy is fun to play around with too. I liked making him slightly less useless in this chapter... not that I don't like that side of him, but I just wanted to let him shine in his own way.

Believe it or not, these scenes were the last sections I completed in the fic. I figured out everything else except for this middle section. I had a lot of writer's block here. By the way, I apologize to soccer fans - I actually know very little about the sport, but I tried to make it sound exciting. Did it work? I loved this chapter because there were a few little cultural fun facts I incorporated into this. Yay, knowledge! I hope you spotted some of them. If you're not sure, ask away. Let me know if you enjoyed this chapter, I'd greatly appreciate it! Thanks, as always.

Hetalia Language Lessons:

**Mein freund**: "My friend" in German.

**Wunderbar**: "Wonderful" in German.

**Stupendo**: "Stupendous" in Italian.

**Delizioso**: "Delicious" in Italian.


	4. Chapter 4: Inappropriate Decorations

A/N: Lots of translation notes at the bottom in case you want to know what certain phrases mean. Please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia. I just borrow the characters.

Rated: M for language and adult humor in the later chapters.

Pairings: Germany x N. Italy & Spain x Romano, a sprinkle of other pairings.

Chapter warnings: Shounen Ai. Ridiculous fluff. Mild swearing and crude mentioning of sexual themes. Use of human names. Use of sentences or words in other languages. Italics represent both thoughts and flashbacks.

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Chapter 4: Penis Bushes

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Elizabeta was in shock. Furiously in shock as she walked throughout the city main streets. Everywhere she looked obscene images and inappropriate visuals stood before her. She came into the country to set things straight with the braggart for the rude wake up call he sent. If it weren't for the duties she had to take care of, she'd have gone over the moment she got the message. However, now that she took a look around her… now she needed to kick Prussia's ass… right after she figures out the reason why he did this to begin with. She wasn't going to let Gilbert get away with the stationary porn everywhere. Storming into the botanical garden, she spotted the oaf trimming a hedge that was in the shape of something that resembled a naked lady.

"Ah, guten tag, non-awesome person. My message must have gotten to you this morning."

"Oh, I got it this morning. What were you thinking, you moron?!"

Growling, she pulled out her frying pan and cornered the German.

"Gilbert, I can't believe you had the gall to send Gilbird to me to wake me up at dawn. I wanted to sleep in today because not only did I have to work, but I have an important date later today. A lady needs her beauty rest you know?! Plus, the nonsense you wrote in that letter to me really ticked me off. You always say crap about how awesome you are – that's nothing new. But what is this about how I'm wrong? And why on earth does the city look like one giant porno shoot?"

"Calm your tities."

**WHACK!**

Prussia held his head in pain as he slightly whimpered. A giant lump formed on the top of his head. She took him by the collar and pulled him down glaring daggers.

"Try saying that again you idióta!" She raised her weapon once again.

"Ok! Ok! I won't say it again!" She released him allowing him to straighten up. "I was chatting with Francis the other day and we got to talking about Valentine's Day since it was coming up. Normally, I'm too awesome to even think about such a pansy ass holiday, but Francis was really into it. He was telling me about how he was going on many dates with hot women… that delicious aphrodisiac foods would be served and that the wine wouldn't stop flowing all day. It sounded so much better than the crap you were spouting." He shrugged at her. "You said it was all about romance and guys being sweet and cute and all those crap-ball things that don't involve sexy women and nakedness."

**WHACK! WHACK! WHACK!**

Prussia cried out unhappily as he nursed a few more bumps. "Stop with the hitting! I thought you were supposed to be more lady-like!" She raised her pan again to which he raised his arms in surrender. "I'm just being honest. Damn, Elizabeta, relax. Anyway, that's when I came up with my most kick-ass idea – set up Valentine's Day like how Francis described it. I mean, really the country should be thanking me for my most awesome plans ever. Now everyone will get to score tonight!"

"You are unbelievable Gilbert! Just because Francis thinks with his crotch doesn't mean you have to! Not everyone will want a sex crazed holiday like you!" She went to smack him again, but he dodged and began running around the gardens for his life.

"But candy and flowers, and red and pink hearts aren't manly at all! And no one cares about stuffed animals and things from the heart! The holiday should be about sexy times!" He argued as he ran by other topiary and bushes in the shape of animals copulating.

"Francis can celebrate the holiday in whatever perverted harem fantasy he creates in his head, but that doesn't mean you have to! What, are you a pervert now too?! And what does your brother think about all this?! I don't believe he would have gone along with this plan at all!"

Gilbert jumped over a hedge and rounded a pond.

"O-of course I'm not a pervert! My awesomeness is a shield that prevents me from having indecent thoughts! I just think Valentine's Day should be more sensual! That's all! And Ludwig has no idea. Are you kidding?! I don't want him to take the credit for my genius-ness!"

To make up for time Hungary took off her flats and threw them in the tote bag she shouldered. While moving, she held up her skirt and jumped straight through the pond.

"Trust me, it's not a genius idea at all! In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Ludwig killed you."

Gilbert turned the corner and realized he reached a dead end of the gardens. He quickly dove and disappeared into the tall flower beds in front of the glass wall. When Elizabeta got there she stopped and caught her breath. Remaining quiet she listened and watched for any signs of the wanna be pervert in the bushes. Right out of the corner of her eye the leaves of a bush rustled.

"There!"

The Prussian jumped up, and sprang forward trying to go back the way he came. He looked back at her angered face and stuck his tongue out at her. Instantly, she planted her feet, took aim, and threw her frying pan directly at him.

"Ha! I am too awesome to be caught or hit by the likes of-"

**CRUNCH! WHACK! **

The sound of crunching leaves and a metallic clank rang throughout the gardens. Without realizing it, he ran directly into a large topiary. A large penis shaped topiary. His body was wedged between what would be the ball sack when the frying pan slammed against his head.

"Damn… dumm penis…"

He cursed that the plant resembling male genitalia was his undoing right before he passed out unconscious.

When he woke up Elizabeta stood over him still pissed off.

"Look," she began. "I don't care how you choose to celebrate your Valentine's Day, but don't ruin it for the people in the nation. Some people like the lovey dovey stuff I told you about, and some like the… the stuff you and Francis were talking about." She slightly blushed recalling all the things she spotted today. "But don't make the people choose between the two. Some do both you know. More importantly, I got a call from Feliciano yesterday. He told me that your brother asked him out. I'm more than sure today must be important to the both of them. It will definitely be ruined if they see the stuff you put up. You don't want to mess things up for them, do you?"

The older German shrugged unhappily as he looked away. "How was I supposed to know he was finally going to ask out that Mozzarella ball? I was busy planning and putting up my awesome decorations."

Her voice softened. "Just, take down all the decorations. For them?"

Gilbert sighed. "I worked hard for this though."

"Your intentions are good… I think, but I'm more than sure couples will decide when to be intimate with one another. You can't force them."

"Do you have a valentine this year?"

The question caught her off guard. She smiled as she thought about Roderich. "I do."

"And you're going to do the romantic crap you were talking about?"

"I hope so."

"I see."

Gilbert got up and brushed himself off. "Ja, I suppose my awesome ideas were too much for this holiday. Besides, it's probably too much for Luddy's brain to process any way. I'll save my plans for a better time of the year."

"Köszönöm, Gilbert. You're awesome for fixing things for your brother. Happy Valentine's Day."

"Ja, ja." She turned to leave with a smile on her face. Luckily for him, she walked away without seeing the blush and bitter smile on his.

Stepping outside she let out a long sigh. _"Gilbert really is a handful."_ She thought. "_Well, at least now things are straightened out and I can go visit Roderich."_

It took her several minutes to get to her car. With all the main roads closed in the inner city, she had to park far away. As she was about to get in she heard her name being called.

"Elizabeta! Elizabeta!"

She turned and spotted the very couple she worried about pull up next to her.

"Uh, oh…"

Feliciano came bounding out of the car to her.

"Elizabeta! I'm so happy to see you!" He hugged her warmly. "What brings you here?"

"Oh, Feli, Ludwig, I'm very happy to see you too. Happy Valentine's Day! I was on my way back from visiting with Gilbert. I… had to talk to him about urgent matters, but I've already dealt with him." She smiled as she sifted her tote with her frying pan to the other shoulder. "So now I'm on my way to Roderich. We're going on a date today. But enough about me, how are you both doing today?"

"We're great! Ludwig and I just had an early dinner and were on our way to the gardens to see the plant sculptures Gilbert put together for today."

"No don't!" Elizabeta screamed as she waved her arms around. "I-I mean, you should skip that exhibit. It was closed down."

"Oh? I didn't hear about that." Ludwig questioned.

"Y-yes. I was just there with him. He definitely closed down the gardens." Elizabeta laughed nervously. _"I made sure of that."_

"Vee… that's too bad. I really wanted to see it. I guess we will just go shopping at the big farmer's market at the center of the city then."

"No! Don't go downtown!"

The duo stared at her, clueless as to her jumpiness.

"I-I mean, it's crowded! With lots - tons of people today! You know, last minute shoppers and couples everywhere! And Gilbert closed down the streets so parking is a nightmare! You'll definitely get caught up with all those people. I think you two should just go back home and spend a nice quiet evening indoors. It would be good to avoid all public places today… at least until tomorrow morning when all the Valentine's Day decorations are down- I mean, when all the Valentine's Day hype is over." She gripped the Italians' shoulders tightly as she emphasized every word she said.

"Vee… Well thanks for the advice, but I still want to go."

Worried, she loosened her grip and was about to protest, but Ludwig called out to her from the driver's seat, cutting her off.

"We'll be fine Elizabeta. Don't worry, he's with me. He won't get lost in the crowd. So, don't worry about it. Any way, we shouldn't keep you too long since Roderich is waiting for you."

"O-oh, yes. Well… all right. Just… err… just don't say I didn't warn you." She sighed.

Again, not sure what she meant, they just shrugged it off.

"Then we'll be on our way. Say 'hello' to Roderich for us."

"I will. And here, you can take my spot when I leave."

"Grazie Elizabeta, have a wonderful date today!"

"You too!"

"_I wish… Everything has already been messed up in one way or another."_ Griped Ludwig.

They waved goodbye to each other and went their separate ways. Ludwig quickly parked and the two began walking inward to where the farmer's market would be.

"_Today has been a very weird day. I wonder why Elizabeta seemed worried."_ The German thought.

His question was quickly answered as they got closer to the inner city. Several flashing neon lights that read, "Live nude girls!" or similar distracted the German. _"Did we always have that many stripper bars in the city? And why are they open now? It's not that late yet."_

The streets were kind of crowded, but instead of couples, Ludwig noticed a lot of men. Possibly single men. There were occasional women, but not as many as their male counterparts. For some odd reason the women hovered at store entrances and windows. As the duo passed by the closest store, a beautiful girl wearing a scanty bunny outfit from one of the doorways sashayed her way over to them and offered a sampling of wine.

Feliciano was quick on the uptake and already had a cup in his hand. "Ciao bella! I'd love a free sample!"

Ludwig went from happy to angry within seconds. He put the Italian in a headlock and dragged him off.

"Don't go drinking free wine samples for a beautiful girl in a bunny costume! What is wrong with you?!"

"B-but it was free Ludwig…" He whined.

"Never mind that, we are going to go look for Gilbert. I have a bad feeling about all of this." He continued to amble down the sidewalk with Feli attached at the hip. A few more minutes of walking and blushing at the naughty sights around them, they spotted Gilbert outside the entrance of the garden. He finished putting up a sign that read "closed".

"Gilbert! What the hell have you done to the city?!" Ludwig screamed as he reached his older brother.

The younger German could only continue to stare in terror at the horrid decorations that lined the main street. Lots of X rated sayings were explicitly written on the banners attached to the light posts and trees. Cardboard cutouts of sexy men and women in scantily clad clothing were in the windows of almost every store standing as provocatively as possible. Almost all the lighting for the display windows was a blaring red. Penis balloons were anchored to random areas and building entrances. Restaurants advertised that they only served aphrodisiac meals utilizing items known to get people in the mood.

"_Well that explains why I had all those weird thoughts during dinner."_ Feli noted to himself.

The drivers of the horse drawn carriages that lined the street only wore speedos and a bow tie… and not all of them were hot men. Ludwig fought severely against the urge to hurl his dinner onto the street while pummeling his older brother.

"Oh, so you noticed Luddy." The Prussian laughed nervously. "I, uh, thought this was a good idea… at the time."

**WHACK! **

"Well it isn't!" He grabbed his brother by the shirt with murderous intent. "This is an embarrassing and degrading display of your stupidity!"

"What the hell Luddy? I know that I screwed up! Elizabeta already gave me an earful today; I don't need another from you."

"You better take down everything right now or so help me I will rip out and destroy your liver faster than you can say beer! Has this stuff been up all day long?! I shouldn't have left you in charge!"

"All right! I get it, sheesh. I've already started taking down everything and I sent the call to the other cities to do the same. So, shut your trap, your big brother is taking care of everything. My version of Valentine's Day is just too great and mature for your tiny little mind. "

"Hey Ludwig!" Looking over he spotted Feli inside the botanical garden that Gilbert had closed off. He was standing and pointing at the hedge cutting shaped like a crazy position out of the Kama Sutra. "I didn't know your people were into this hardcore kind of stuff."

Gilbert and Feli burst out laughing. Ludwig's face turned a bright red like the lights on the street.

"We're not! We don't! It was all this idiot's doing!" He gestured to his brother. Ludwig could only facepalm and groan about the whole situation. His self-esteem was spiraling into self-loathing.

"Don't worry, don't worry."

He looked at his older brother in angry despair. "Well it's too late to worry now. The country has been exposed to one giant visual orgy for most of the day. I doubt anything we do now will make a difference."

"True, but what's done is done. I'm already dealing with the rest. Just focus on your little outing with Feliciano. It doesn't seem to bother him."

"Look you guys! Look! It's a kitty! Vee…"

Looking over, the once perverted shrubbery turned into a cute looking cat.

"How did you do that so fast?! Das impressive little Feliciano!" Gilbert clapped. "Not as awesome as what it originally was, but you did decent enough."

Ludwig only smiled; glad that Gilbert's designing fiasco didn't faze him. _"He's so naïve."_

Feli put the shears down and walked back to the duo. "Neh, Ludwig, why don't we just go somewhere else and relax. If the farmer's market is decorated like the rest of the city, I think we should just skip it for today. We can come back. Let's go somewhere else."

He thought about it for a moment. "Well, you're dealing with everything, right, Gilbert?"

His brother nodded. "Ja, get out of here. You worry too much."

"For good reason! I turn my back and give you control and look what happened to all the main streets!"

"Oh shut-up, I was just adding excitement to an otherwise foolish lame ass holiday."

"Why, you-" Before the younger brother could attack the older, he felt arms wrap around his torso tightly.

"Vee… stop arguing you two! You can grab a beer and make up later. For now, I just want to go somewhere else while Gilbert cleans up."

"Y-yes. Of course. We… can go." He hesitated as he tried to figure out what to say. Feli's hug therapy surprised him. He started walking to the entrance and dragging him along. Ludwig turned back to his brother. "You better have everything cleaned up on the double. I don't want to see any more of that rubbish in the streets by the time I get back. You got that?"

Gilbert only laughed heartily as he saw his younger brother being pussy whipped by the little Italian. He wouldn't dare admit it out loud, but it was nice to see the guy relax. It didn't seem like his younger brother realized it, but he was like easily influenced by Feliciano. Sure, he ordered him around all the time, but he had his moments. On the rare occasion when Feli was serious, Luddy listened. Generally, he was absolutely anal about everything - decisions, procedures, schedules, but he bent the rules every once in a while if Feli caused enough of a fuss. It was a positive influence on him… sort of. Feli's cheerful personality was a good counter to his often too serious one. They were a good match, and Prussia couldn't help but be a touch envious of whatever they had.

"_Ah, screw this crap."_ He waved off any negative thought that threatened to make his awesome self feel gloomy. _"I'll take all the shit down and then go drinking with Francis… Or maybe go see what Antonio is up to. I'm too awesome to be forever alone today."_

Just then Gilbird came flying in around his head.

"And just where have you been since you delivered the letter?" The yellow fluff landed on the kitty topiary and looked at him curiously. "Hey, you can't stay in the gardens right now, I have to keep it closed until the gardeners come and fix it."

Gilbird seemed to grunt unhappily while continually chirping at its master.

"Don't start with me too; I've had enough nagging all day. I'm having people take down all the banners so just wait for that and you and all your little fluff ball friends will get your usual hang out spots again soon."

Grunting again in understanding, Gilbird flew off and joined his little flock that took to the skies. Gilbert shook his head and went off to go clean up the mess he created.

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A/N:

Prussia has never failed to make me laugh, so I feel like he would be the best person to (harmlessly) mess with the duo on their date. Inadvertently or not. I don't really think Prussia is a pervert, but I do believe that he'd be influenced by France easily. He's not stupid, but I believe he would like to shake things up. You know, part of his awesomeness and whatnot. I never could choose between the Hungary x Prussia and Hungary x Austria shipping. I like them both, so I kind of brought out this triangle. I think Gilbert has a one sided thing for Elizabeta. (sniffle) So sad! Definitely tugs at my heart strings. Ideally, I also wanted to flush out the Prussia x N. Italy dynamic as well, but the timing on this fic just didn't work in my favor. Maybe if I ever do another fic I'll work on that. Reading up on their little brotherly relationship makes me happy. If you enjoyed this chapter, please let me know, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thank you!

Hetalia Language Lessons:

**Guten tag**: "Good afternoon or day" in German.

**Dumm**: "Dumb" in German.

**Köszönöm**: "Thank you" in Hungarian.

**Ciao bella**: "Hello beautiful" in Italian.


	5. Chapter 5: Giving Kisses

A/N: Translation notes at the bottom in case you want to know what certain phrases mean. Please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia. I just borrow the characters.

Rated: M for language and adult humor.

Pairings: Germany x N. Italy & Spain x Romano, a sprinkle of other pairings.

Chapter warnings: Shounen Ai. Ridiculous fluff. Mild swearing. Use of human names. Use of sentences or words in other languages. Italics represent both thoughts and flashbacks.

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Chapter 5: Giving Kisses

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The walk to the car was pleasantly awkward. Ludwig had no idea what to talk about with Feliciano hanging onto him. The contact between their intertwined arms made him flush pink. It was an innocent gesture, so it shouldn't have affected him so much. It wasn't even the first time the Italian has shown an obscene amount of affection. They've kissed on the cheeks, and held hands before, but here he was blushing and feeling happy as if it was the first time. Not even the porn in the city made him feel as distracted as he felt with the Italian astride him. Ludwig felt like they were a normal couple in love leisurely strolling along.

"So, where would you like to go Feliciano?"

"Well, we still have a picnic blanket from earlier today, why don't we go to a park and just sit and watch the sunset?"

"Oh, uh, ja. Sure. That sounds good. There's a park with a lake somewhat close by. That would be a nice place to be if you want."

"Si! Lead the way, capitano!"

The drive over was more lively with Feli's usual ramblings about insignificant things. Despite the topics, the conversation flowed easily from them both. Within a few minutes they were already on location. There were a few couples scattered about, but overall it was fairly unoccupied. Hauling out the blanket, the duo set up under the trees on a small hill. Ludwig scooted back and rested against a tree. The entire area was scenic with a beautiful panoramic view. The lake glittered in warm colors and though it was getting late, the weather was still pleasant. Out of nowhere Feli started humming a song. It wasn't a recognizable tune, but it wasn't annoying. In fact, if happiness could be captured in a tune, it would clearly sound like that. They sat together admiring the end of daylight, but Ludwig could only look at Feliciano. He stared, but not because Feli looked handsome embraced in the warm light. He stared because this one person affected his entire being. He never cared too much about romance or the like, but seeing Feliciano so happy and carefree made his tough guy exterior crumble like sand.

Feli disarmed him and it was terrifying. He was vulnerable and he knew it, but did Feli even realize what he was doing? There were too many signals coming from him, but none of the message was decoded. It was time to find out if he was truly the ignoramus, or the trained assassin. Would he be lucky in a game of Russian roulette? Luck – that is all he had now. It was as if Feliciano held a gun to him at point blank range and instead of fighting to get away, he held the barrel of the gun directly to his head. Only Feliciano would be his reaper, for only he could pull the trigger and decide whether the German would be shot or not.

"I have something else I wanted to give you earlier. Hold out your hands." Feli happily did, in which Ludwig gently placed the second box in his hands. "This is for you Feliciano. Don't worry it's not another pig." They both laughed. "It's a ginger heart cookie. It's also customary here to give this to a person you care about. We usually write little messages on them to express how we feel too."

The Italian's face lit up. He carefully opened the box and there was the heart shaped cookie he described. Inhaling deep, he savored the scent of the spices. "This smells fantastico!" Looking down at the message, Feli hesitated. "And uh… y-yeah… Gilbert is awesome…"

"Ja, I do care- what?"

Feli turned the box around and showed him. There, written in white frosting was the message, "Gilbert is Awesome."

"W-wha- but this- why is this message written on the cookie?!" The German crushed the box in his hands as he stared angrily at the cookie. Prussia's face and annoying laughter came to mind.

"_I am NEVER going to let Gilbert plan anything in this nation ever again."_

His stomach churned at the thought that every cookie in the country having the same message.

"_I'm sorry citizens. I'm sorry my brother is a moron and managed to ruin yet ANOTHER thing for this day. Many couples will surely be disappointed."_

He let out a hefty sigh and ran his hands through his hair.

"Ah, are you all right Ludwig?"

"Ja." He sighed in frustration. Looking down at Feli's concern made him feel worse. "I didn't mean to give you this. I meant to give you one with a different message."

"Oh, no, it's ok. It's just a cookie. I'll still eat it. It smells yummy."

Ludwig only looked away in annoyance. _"It's not just about the cookie…"_ He pouted unhappily.

Feli felt slightly dejected though he knew it wasn't about him. Disappointment lingered between them with the emotion heavily weighing down on them both. The Italian didn't like this dampened mood, and he certainly wouldn't let it stay.

"Grazie for the gift Ludwig. I- uh… I also h-have something for you… I know you don't really like sweets… And I know I didn't buy it, but I made it for you though, so I hope you eat it…" Feli began trailing off in a mumble that was barely audible.

The Germany crossed his arms as he barked at his shorter companion impatiently. "Just out with it Feliciano! What is it you want to say?"

"Y-yes! Ludwig, t-these are for you." Feliciano held out his box full of baci to him. "I've wanted to give this to you all day, but I couldn't find the right time to do it until now."

The German was surprised as he looked at the red box with a bow. He opened it automatically inhaling the velvety chocolate and hazelnut scent. That alone made his mouth water. He picked up a small slip of paper that was sticking out of one of the wrapped pieces. A message was written in four different languages. In Italian it read, "Resta sempre con me." In Spanish, "Quédate conmigo siempre." In English, "Stay with me always." But the one written in German made him smile. "Bleib bei mir immer." Italy's face was as red as the wrapping and spoke meekly as he sat fidgeting.

"I-I made it just for you this morning. It's Baci Perugina. Baci means 'kisses' in Italian and I'm giving these chocolates only to you because…" He inhaled slowly, steadying his voice. "Because I Iove you Ludwig. I've loved you for a long time now. You've always been a good friend and ally to me all these years, but now, you mean more to me than that. You haven't ever left my side, and I pray you never will. The way I feel about you is something I haven't felt in a very long time."

Ludwig was so overcome with shock and happiness that he didn't realize he took and bit into one of the sweet confections until it was in his mouth. The creamy texture and robust scent of roasted hazelnuts attacked his taste buds in the best sense.

_"If this is what kisses are like, I could have one every day!" _Germany's inner thoughts were chaotically rosy. It felt like his submarine was struck by enemy missiles, but instead of his sub sinking, Italian subs with impressive fire power came to the rescue and blew all the enemies out of the water allowing everyone on board to be brought to safety. His breath caught. He didn't know what to say, but he at least knew this was it. This was the chance he was waiting for all day!

"Feliciano… danke. These are amazingly delicious." He placed the box of chocolates down and gazed lovingly at the man who meant everything to him. "And, I too, have wanted to talk to you all day about what I have to say, but I couldn't find a good moment. I just- it took me so long to figure out everything, about the way I feel about you. Our relationship has gradually grown since the first time I found you in the tomato box. However, since yesterday, it's like realization exploded in my face like a grenade. You've invaded my entire heart and I… surrender willingly. Ich liebe dich, Feliciano."

Italy began tearing up because he was so full of joy. "Ludwig, I-"

Suddenly, something white plopped down from above directly onto Germany's shoulder. A second later another few plops came down. Both were taken aback and silenced as they looked up to find Gilbird and a flock of birds perched above them. Apprehension and terror struck him, but unfortunately, his lightning fast reflexes weren't enough to save him this time around.

"Scheiße!"

Was the only word the German could get in before a shitstorm literally covered him. His head and outfit were sticky white, green and black despite his efforts at jumping away from the landing zone. Out of pure embarrassment and anger, he took the closest ammunition to him, the chocolate, and started chucking it at the balls of yellow fluff in the tree all while cursing. The provocation did Ludwig little good as the flock became angry and started swooping in and pecking at him. Feli could only run around in a panic shouting at him to calm down to no avail. With Ludwig blinded while stumbling about, and Gilbird leading the charge against the offender, he was pushed to the edge of the lake. A final chirpy dive to his face tipped him over, and the country made a huge splash. Feli rushed to the edge of the water debating whether or not to jump in. He wasn't very good with swimming. Content with their victory, the birds flew away trying to find another location to sit that wasn't blocked by Prussia's banners.

"GRAAAAH!" Ludwig roared as he surfaced and threw his arms up in the air. The bird crap mostly washed off, but did nothing to smooth out his now seething foul mood. Strings of curses left his mouth as he stomped back to land where Feliciano was. That was it. He had enough of this ridiculous day.

"Today has been nothing but a disaster! Damn this day! Nothing but trouble! First it was the unintentional groping at the park, then that fiasco at dinner with the pig gift! Oh, and let's not forget that that dummkof brother of mine has gone and turned this city into a red light district that could be equivalent to France's own sex drive! And now – now his bird has crapped all over me! This day just gets worse and worse and it's ruined for you! This is why things need structure and itineraries and why orders should be followed at all times and-"

As he thundered on with his angry banter, Feliciano's worries about his safety disappeared. Seeing him so angry made it easy for him to be very calm. He gave Ludwig a warm tender smile as he reached the shore.

"Ludwig, you worry too much."

And with that, Feliciano stepped up and gently kissed the wet flustered man. It was chaste, but sweet and felt like everything just fell into place. The pressing troubles from only moments ago were already forgotten. He relaxed as their lips parted, yet; his cheeks were several shades pinker and his heart didn't calm down. Feli then wrapped Ludwig in the clean picnic blanket they sat on to keep him warm.

"Today was really amazing. I had so much fun with you. I couldn't have asked for a better day. Sure, a lot of things happened, but I didn't feel like anything was ruined. How could it be, when you asked me out and you've finally told me how you feel about me… before we were interrupted?" Feli chuckled as he reached up and cupped Ludwig's face. "Do you know how long I've waited to hear that? How long I've wanted to tell you myself, but was too scared to say it? You made this a very special day for me to remember. I'll never forget it throughout my lifetime. Grazie, Ludwig. Ti amo."

Feliciano's genuinely content smile was enough proof to quell his anger and assuaged his fears.

_"It wasn't all in vain."_ He thought about the events of the day. _"There really weren't any moments that Feliciano seemed truly upset… except the thing with the pig, but that misunderstanding was taken care of already. And he loves me! He loves me too!"_

Without any more hesitation he laced his fingers with his love and smiled as well. This time it took Feli by surprise to see that his smile had a boyish charm to them. It felt almost nostalgic though he couldn't quite put a finger as to why. Shaking off the feeling, he looked at the lake and spotted his empty red box floating around.

"Vee… I guess I'll have to make you more baci since they're all gone."

"…No, I have one here."

"Oh, where-?" Feli turned to him only to be surprised by another kiss to the lips, which he happily accepted. They stood for a few moments holding hands with all smiles as they watched the sunset.

"Oh! I get it! You kissed me because baci means kisses!"

The German's face contorted in disbelief and his eye briefly twitched, but he took a deep breath before bursting out in laugher. More sweet "kisses" were shared the rest of the evening after cleaning up. Luckily for the duo, no other mishap occurred for the rest of their date. Gilbert got the job done late into the night. With the cities clean, he went to go bother Francis, who was surprisingly alone. Apparently, he had pissed off every single one of his dates when he attempted to seduce them into his bed after each meeting. They both recounted their woes of the day, and promptly drunk themselves late into the early morning. Elizabeta slept well with a new melody in her head. Antonio and Lovino sighed contently snuggled in each other's loving embrace. All was right by the end of the day and the world closed out to a romantic night sky filled with twinkling stars.

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A/N:

Ah, the ending was the shortest! I don't know if that's a good or bad thing. Oh well, but I am happy. Yay! I mean, it is the final installment of this fic. Well, I take that back. I'm thinking of doing a little bonus story of Antonio and Lovino's date since they stayed mostly in the background for the second half, but I'll figure that out later when I'm not swamped with homework. I'll just leave it as incomplete until then. I hope you enjoyed the story, felt entertained, and maybe laughed a little bit. Let me know what you thought - I'd love to hear. Thank you for reading the whole way through. Until next time...

Hetalia Language Lessons:

**Capitano**: "Captain" in Italian.

**Ich liebe dich**: "I love you" in German.

**Ti Amo**: "I love you" in Italian.


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